Cherokee Goddess?
by SabakuNoGaara426
Summary: A trader with ties in Woodbury seems to catch Daryl's eye, but with the Governor still missing and the Prison group now living in the town, can anything bloom in the bloody soul of Woodbury?
1. Chapter 1

**Cherokee Goddess?**

* * *

"Mother fucking zombies!" I snarled as I slammed the pick end of my tomahawk into the last of one of said infected that had managed to knock me over. I had run into a group of at least a dozen of the bastards while scavenging the Petco of a small plaza. I looked around at the mess they, well technically I, Dakota, had made in the pets isle of the store. At least 8 of the walkers that had attacked us were taken down by Hades and Zeus, my American Alsatians, alone.

The walkers' bodies littered around the far end of the isle where I had literally run into the things while looking for a few harnesses, brushes, nail clippers, flea and tick repellant, and some Dentastix for them. They needed anything for their breath after we fought walkers. I tried my best to keep clean for their sensitive noses, so I kind of made them return the favor while keeping them healthy at the same time. Especially with the Georgia wilderness seeming to want to cover all of us in ticks and God knows what else.

I opened the small bag like pet carrier I had picked up and peaked inside at the small stripped kitten inside, who's mewling had probably drawn the walkers in the first place. The little thing was a few months old, all leg, huge ears and wide green eyes. She (yes, I took the time to check) must've been one of those wild/domestic hybrids that were starting to get popular, but got left in the adoption part of the store when the panic started. She hissed at me as I closed the carrier after I was sure that she was alright.

"You two are so lucky I love you," I mumbled to the black furred, ocean eyed Hades and the white furred, golden eyed Zeus as they put their heads under my arms to help me stand up. Their broad shoulders reached to the bottom of my ribs. I could actually ride either of them like a horse for short distances before I panicked about crushing them, even with my 130 lb and thinning 5' 4" frame.

I knew I wasn't fat by any means, but I also wasn't the smallest girl. I had an athletic build thanks to the dead coming back, but my hips didn't get the memo and stayed a bit wide and I also still had a nice ass, apparently. I've been told I could've been a model, if I didn't have an "attitude problem," which I do have, but it's from having the pups. Gotta show them who's Alpha and keep acting that way, calm assertive (Yes, Cesar Milan's practices work and they are the gospel for dog owners).

I never saw it, not once in my 22 years of living. I've always seen myself as average with my long auburn hair, wide hazel eyes that were more green around the pupil with a thin ring of brown around the outside of the iris, slightly pouty lips, and the light spatter of freckles across my nose. My skin was deeply tanned like a typical southerner's would be, but that's just my Cherokee and Portuguese sides coming out instead of the Irish.

I scratched the panting wolf-dogs behind their ears before tucking my tomahawk back into its holster at my waist. "I can't believe you two were runts just a few years ago," I murmured as I found the harnesses and put all of the medium and large dog and cat ones into my messenger bag, along with everything else we needed. I stopped at the cat and kitten section for some powdered milk, small collar, a few collapsible bowls for water, a clicker (clicker training a cat is simple if you use the reward system, especially the wild hybrids), and a pair of shears.

I took out ten nearly empty pill bottles and a birth control tablet and opened them. I held them under Hades and Zeus' noses, one at a time, of course, before I motioned them of towards the rest of the plaza stores with a short whistle. They ran off after I fitted them with doggie saddle bags to find the antibiotics, birth control pills, and other pharmaceuticals I needed. They'd be back within 10 minutes with everything I'd showed them, if they could find it.

Twenty minutes later I had them all in my Transformers: Dark of the Moon Ironhide Edition GMC Topkick, that I had stolen from a car show on the way down to Georgia, and we were on our way to back to our camp. Now, let me tell you about Hades, Zeus and myself and how we got to good ol' Georgia.

* * *

_ Alsatians are a very intelligent breed, are easy to train and hard to scare. I had literally raised the twins from birth. From bottle feeding, teething, and even the dreaded humping phase that they both went through at the same time, I was there. Thanks to their asshole of a breeder, they had never gotten to suckle from their mother, so I became their mother_

_Said breeder pretty much gave them away because they were the only two in a litter and were both runts, leading him to believe that they were sickly even though their sire and mother were in perfect health during conception, pregnancy, and with perfect pedigrees going back about 25 years; the oldest living line of the original Alsatians. I just had to pay the vet bills, license registrations, and other pet luxuries and necessities for the twins._

_They only proved their worth further when I had them trained and certified as drug, bomb, and substance detection, animal/human tracking, basic obedience, and even had them certified to be seeing eye and assistance dogs within two short years. They had even passed the military canine courses at a trial that the Navy, Marine, and Army recruiters had set up a few months before the outbreak hit Western New York and I had a few officials asking if I was interested in signing them over. I wouldn't have given them up for any amount they had offered, even if some of the numbers looked damn good on paper. It wouldn't have done me any good now any way, right? _

_The breed was made to resemble the ancient Dire Wolves (try fitting two of them on a twin bed) and did my twin boys live up to it. While the breed itself was calm, extremely healthy, obedient, and almost loyal to a fault, they were absolutely vicious when it came to protecting their family, which they would see as their pack. They had never wandered far from my side in the 3 years since I had adopted them, even when I first brought them home, unless it was for their training exercises. Nor did they bark at loud noises or strange people unless they were a threat, which Hades and Zeus seemed to know right off the bat. _

_ Zeus and Hades were the only family I had left and it was bitter sweet that I still had them with me... _

_After the Military trials, I had taken them to visit my mother and nine year old brother like we always did for about a month in the summer. The twelve year age difference between my brother and I had always placed a strain on my mother and I's relationship. I had to grow up a little faster than normal because of it, but once we all finally got settled into the idea of having him around, Colby Phoenix, turned out to be a good brother to have._

_Before he had died of cancer, Colby's father had taught my mom and I how to preserve everything from our 100 sq. ft. garden and the surrounding orchards. He had taught me how to hunt, field dress, and even quarter what I killed, so Mom's fridge and freezer was always full and so were the cupboards._

_The day we were going to leave, Colby came home from his first day of school with a bite mark from a kid on the bus. We didn't think anything of it, just cleaned it and got dinner ready while he laid down in his room for a bit. He never came down for dinner._

_Mom slept in Colby's room that night, and I woke up to Zeus and Hades holding them back from me by their arms as they snarled and snapped their jaws at me. I could see that the dogs were scared and had no idea what to do, but after my moment of panic I attacked my mother and brother with a sadness and anger I didn't know I could have._

_I buried them, cried in the shower, loaded the car with everything we had preserved, put the meat in a cooler with ice, grabbed all of our camping gear and two tents, and left the house to pick up my two swords and tomahawk from my house. I headed to Georgia to see if my uncles and cousins were alright, but they were turned as well. I repeated the same process that I had done at my mother's house and started looking for a safe place to make camp._

* * *

And that's how we got down south and to our two tent camp in the middle of the secluded Georgia woods. One was a four person tent I used to store supplies and the other was a twelve person tent for us all to sleep in.

Zeus was the first one out of the cab, as always, when I opened the doors to let him an his brother out. It never fails that he needs to go potty right after a ride in any vehicle, happens every time like clockwork. Hades followed in a more dignified manner, actually waiting for me to put the large bundle of blankets I had found on his back so he could take it to the tent. Zeus came trotting up to me, looking for all the world the dumb blonde of the siblings, and I placed the bag of medications in his mouth to take to the supply tent. I would sort through the canned goods and other things myself.

After actually releasing the kitten from her carrier I saw that she was not a wild hybrid. She was a purebred Asian Leopard Cat. A Prionailurus Bengalensis Chinensis (Chinese Leopard Cat), to be exact, looking almost exactly like the hybrid, but with darker markings and a pink nose. Training her would be harder than I thought, but would be worth it in the end.

She was very mellow now that she realized that she was in no immediate danger and actually curled up in my lap after I had fed the poor emaciated kitten some of the meat I usually leave for the twins and gave her some water. I moved her to a small nest of blankets, in which she immediately fell asleep, and began to go through the food supplies. It didn't take long and I knew I'd have to raid the orchards of the nearby farms soon. Getting a few deer the next time I went hunting wouldn't be so bad either. The twins can catch their own dinner, like they have been since the modern world ended, but the kitten could not and I needed a few extra bits of meat to reward her when she did something right.

I sighed and rubbed my temples as I crunched the numbers in my head. If I didn't find people to trade with, who also had things worth trading, I might not make it through the winter. It may have been early summer in the second full summer of the dead, but I didn't have all of the supplies for myself. At least quarter of everything I used to trade with other humans.

Woodbury had been a good source of basic supplies, weapon care, and mechanical work for Ironhide (yes, I named my fucking truck!), but that was before Philip had gone bat-shit crazy and tried to add me to his long list of bed-warmers. I had walked right out of his home, packed everything and the twins, and drove out of there. I tried to get my friend, Laura, to come with me, but she couldn't bear to leave the first "safe" place we had found.

She had given me one of her long range walkie-talkies so we could still talk and update each other on what was going on, but ever since the Prison group had joined the town she'd been calling me less and less. She never even answered me if I tried to hail her on our usual frequency, and when we did talk on our now monthly calls, she kept talking about this man named Rick, the Prison leader. I ask for updates on the whole town, not your crush on a man with two children.

I shook my head at the thought of it all and was glad that Philip hadn't returned to Woodbury. Maybe I could start doing business there again. Apparently, it was now being run by some of the group from the Prison and a few people in town; a counsel of sorts, I guess.

As I began to cut the long fur of the Twins, I was thinking of the possibilities Woodbury now had to offer. I'd have to ask Laura if she could arrange a meeting between me and a few of the town's merchants; at least, I'd have to try if she ever shut up about this Rick Grimes.

* * *

That was about a month ago.

Now I sat on the tail gate of Ironhide, tomahawk ever present on my hip and waiting for Laura to get here with the town's weapons expert, chief mechanic, and a few of the miscellaneous merchants they had. The bed of the truck was full of the many canned and preserved goods I had made, pharmaceuticals, clothes, blankets, and other items I had found and deemed useful to trade over the past 31 days, including some make-up.

Hades and Zeus were tearing around the field in front of me, both looking like blurs of white and black in contrasting harnesses with their fur now cropped to one quarter of its previous length.

Persephone was laying next to me as she ate a mouse she had caught a few moments earlier. She'd flown through her training and now only answered to the same vocal commands I gave Hades and Zeus, which was surprising since she was a fully wild breed and could fend for herself. She never strayed away from me or the dogs while we were hunting and she only left my side to hunt alone with them. She'd also grown a lot in the past month. Her ears now reached the bottom of my knee cap and she was still all leg.

I groaned dramatically and fell back into the bed of my truck. By the look of things, Laura and her little caravan were late; by about an hour, actually.

"How do you not know when Solar Noon is? You taught me all this survival shit," I mumbled as Persephone finished her mouse and ran off to play with Hades and Zeus. I shook my head with a giggle as she pounced onto the white Twin, causing him to yelp and nearly flip them both over.

I continued to watch my fur-babies play in the field for a few more hours, only moving once to sit on top of Ironhide's cab to get a better look around us. The heat was awful here, and I had parked under the only large tree in the field for shade. At least the thick line of smokey black and grey eye make-up I had on stopped most of the sun's glare.

I pulled my now butt length hair into a hair clip, which made it look like I had some weird Mohawk on the back of my head and halfway down my back. I pulled off my black tank top and unbuttoned and zipped my jean shorts before I laid back on the cab with a sigh, deciding to take a little nap. The twins and Persephone would alert me if there was danger.

I was lucky enough to find a nearly untouched Victoria's Secret at a mall about a week ago and took full advantage of finding some new bras, panties, and anything else that fit me. I even kept a few of the larger hoodies, sweatpants, and night shirts. I loved wearing larger clothing while I lounged around or slept.

My nap was short lived, however, when Persephone jumped onto my sternum and the Twins gave three short barks as they ran back towards Ironhide. I growled loudly as I sat up and put my tank top back on, jumping down onto the bed and walking to the tail gate and watching as two cars and a large delivery truck lumbered their way through the field. I slapped my face with my hand and shook my head. The cars could bottom out and the truck could get stuck.

Hades stood in front of the tailgate with his head down, ears back and hackles raised, while Zeus jumped gracefully into the bed and stood behind me with his head and shoulders peaking out from behind my body. Persephone took a few jumps off of Hades, Ironhide, and Zeus before she landed on one of my shoulders and settled herself there. We had to look like an odd little quartet, I must admit.

Zeus nudged my hand, a pair of binoculars in is maw. I took them and looked into the cars. I saw Laura's blonde head in, what I now knew was, a Honda Civic and there were three other people in the car with her; at least two others in the Jeep behind them, and one in the truck. They didn't matter. She was smiling and that was a good sign. Even if she had a crush, she always knew when something was up, and it would have shown on her face. Her Poker face sucked.

This could either go extremely well or disastrously horrible with Hades' attitude. He was the one you had the earn trust and respect from. Zeus really couldn't find a fuck to give about anybody unless they either had a treat for him, belly rubs to give, or a gun was pointed at any of us.

I gave the binoculars back to Zeus, who put them where he found them. I picked up my Reverse Blade katana, holding it in one hand and rubbing Persephone's chin with the other as I shushed Hades. He obediently stopped growling and put his ears back up, but the fur on his back was still raised as he laid down beneath the tailgate.

I absently tapped the hilt of my katana on the handle of my tomahawk as they all filed out of their vehicles. Laura was in front, casual in a t-shirt, feminine cargos, and her steel toe sneakers as always. The rest of the group she introduced me to was Rick Grimes and his son, Carl, Michonne, Glenn and Maggie, and Daryl Dixon. I was silent through the whole introduction, sans for shushing Zeus who had yawned with an obnoxiously loud whine and moving to crouch on the tailgate instead of standing.

"Dakota Silva. Nice to meet'cha, I guess," I said while jumping off the tailgate, nudging Hades with my boot. "This is Hades, his brother, Zeus, and Persephone." Carl held out his hand for me to shake and, after a glance at his father I did so. "Away to me, Hades. Zeus, come by."

At their commands, the two Alsatians trotted off to the new vehicles, sniffing at each and every crevice and surface they could find. Laura simply walked over to each car and opened a door so they could inspect the insides.

"Hold on there, girl. What're they doin?" Daryl asked, lifting his crossbow slightly, looking between me and my dogs.

"Their jobs?" I said with a look I'm sure everyone interpreted as 'Are you a fucking moron?' I took a few steps to Laura once she got back to us, her 5' 11" body dwarfing my small frame. "You didn't tell them about the boys?"

"It never came up in conversation," she said with a shrug. I rolled my eyes at her with a sigh.

"They're drug dogs?" I turned to face Rick, pushing some of my stubborn bangs out of my face.

"More than that. Drugs, bombs, people; they can find almost anything. I went and got 'em certified for everything from basic obedience to Guide Dog training," I said while I watched them hop into the back of the large truck and start their work. "They even passed a few Military training courses before all this shit happened two years ago. Some Police training, too."

"Sounds like you got your bases covered for being protected."

I nodded at Maggie while absently stroking Persephone, who meowed at Carl's hand as he reached to pet her. I knelt down so he could pet her, telling him to let her sniff his hand first. She warmed right up to him, jumping to his shoulder and rubbing against his face with a loud purr.

"Is that a Chinese Leopard Cat?" Glenn piped in, sounding like the nerd I had guessed he used to be. When I nodded he shook his head in disbelief. "Where did you find one?"

"In a Petco a few towns over, 'bout a month ago." I reached over to give Persephone a bit of meat from the treat pouch I had on. "She was left in the adoption center with a few other animals. They got out, but she was such a tiny thing when it first happened that she just stayed in the store, I guess. I just had to train her a bit and, with the reward method and clicker training, she can do almost anything Hades and Zeus can."

"What can't she do?" Carl asked, giggling as Persephone started licking some of the hair peaking out from under his hat.

"Drug searching. I don't want her to be licking that stuff up like most cats do when you try to train them for that." Glenn and I continued to talk about Persephone and her breed while the boys finished their search with a short sequence of quiet yips to me, meaning everything was clear.

I whistled them back to me as I pulled the tarp off the supplies. A few jaws dropped and I smirked at them all.

"I showed you mine, now show me yours?"

* * *

**Well? Do you guys like it?**

**Let me know!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Cherokee Goddess?**

While Glenn, Maggie, Rick, and Carl started taking what was in their truck out for me to see, Daryl made himself at home looking through Ironhide's engine and undercarriage while Michonne was looking over my swords and tomahawk. I sat on the tailgate with Laura, watching Hades as he sat by Daryl's crossbow and Zeus as he moved with the people unloading the truck.

"I don't think Hades likes Dixon very much," Laura said while playing with Persephone. I just shrugged, laying out the tarp on the ground for my tent to be laid on.

"Not my problem. Hades always knows who's the bigger threat and stands guard over them." I began kicking stones away from the level area and staking the tarp into place. "Mind lending me a hand, Princess? Or are you gonna sit on your ass and watch the rest of us good lookin' folk do all the work?" I said with a haughty tilt to my hips and the gayest voice I could muster.

She stuck her tongue out at me before hopping down and helping me out, earning a disgruntled insult from the redneck under Ironhide. Once the tent was up, I started haggling with Maggie and Glenn, keeping an eye on Michonne and Daryl as they worked on my inanimate babies. One wrong move and I wouldn't hesitate to send Zeus and Hades after them.

* * *

After we had settled everything and got the trading done, it was getting dark and I had already started a fire and had sent the Twins and Persephone out hunting. Michonne had sharpened my swords and tomahawk, along with retying the cloth around the hilts of them so they wouldn't come unbound again. Daryl had done a few things to Ironhide that had him back to roaring like he was supposed to be. Maggie was gushing over all the Victoria's Secret stuff still, already wearing some of the sleep wear we had traded.

"I can't believe you found all of this! I mean, we have a huge group and we never even dared to go into the mall." She cuddled into Glenn's side as he nodded in agreement.

"I don't need a big group. Just cleared it out store by store," I muttered around a piece of jerky before passing the bag around.

I really didn't care about what they were saying. I had one thing on my mind and it was bugging the hell out of me. Laura bumped my shoulder and gave me a worried glance. I just waved her off and gave a deep sigh before glancing at Daryl.

"The rumors true? Is Merle really gone?" I felt everyone turn to look at me as I stared at the fire, hearing the Twins and Persephone come back with something.

"You knew ma brother?" I looked up at Daryl's voice, giving him a once over before I met his eyes.

"I met him while clearing out a mall in Atlanta, right after he got off the roof, if his still bleeding wrist was anything to go by." I held his oceanic eyes with my own for a few moments before he looked away and started biting his thumb. I smirked. "Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?"

Laura snorted the water she was drinking as she tried not to laugh and Glenn covered his face. I raised an eyebrow at Daryl, smirk falling from my face before I became serious again.

"He was difficult to deal with and trust at first, but once he stopped looking for his next fix he taught me a few things to help me and the Twins survive a bit easier. Then we found Woodbury..." I trailed off, biting my lip out of nervous habit. Laura put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it. "After the Governor showed me his daughter and tried to rape me, I left the town behind. Merle and Laura tried to make me stay, but after what I did to Philip he helped me escape. He gave me a walkie-talkie so he could update me and make sure I was safe. Also let me talk to Laura and her parents when they were on watch together."

Everyone was silent as I finished the short story of my escape. Daryl was still biting the cuticle of his thumb, glancing at me every now and then from under his dark hair. I ignored the looks and took the rabbits Hades and Zeus had killed, skinning them and throwing the guts into the fire to burn away the evidence. Persephone had taken down a large raccoon and had dropped it at Daryl's feet before sitting down and gazing at him with her odd deep green eyes.

"Last time I heard from Merle, he said he had found someone from his old group. All he could talk about was that he had found a way to get his brother back," I said as I carefully watched Daryl interact with Persephone. "We had made plans to meet up and travel away again once he had you. I had everything set and packed to go."

Daryl hesitated before sitting down to start skinning the animal, at which Persephone gave a satisfied clicking noise before strutting over to me and stealing one of the small bits of flesh I had set aside for her and the Twins' treats/rewards.

Finally, Rick asked the question that I knew was on everyone's mind.

"What did you do to the Governor?"

I sighed as I stood up to tie up the nearly perfect skins so they could dry out so I could start tanning them later. "Not sure if the kid should hear this, even if he's had to grow up faster than he should."

"He's seen the worst of this world. I think he can take it." Rick laid a hand on Carl's shoulder, a proud look on his aged face. I looked up at him, then to Laura. She nodded and looked down, rubbing her forehead.

"First, I took anything I knew I would need for my bow, tomahawk, and swords. Second, I openly opposed his Arena and how he dealt with people, made the townspeople think about how he ran things." Michonne smirked and nodded, and I could have sworn I saw a small smirk on Daryl's face as he got up to put the raccoon skin up like I had done with the first rabbit's. Everyone else waited for the last detail.

"Finally, I bit his testicles off."

While everyone besides Laura and Michonne, who were both actually snickering, looked slightly disgusted. Carl's face was priceless; eyes comically wide and his face had paled ridiculously. Daryl's face was guarded and unreadable.

"Why? Why would'ja do that to 'im?" I looked up at Daryl's gruff voice with my stony hazel eyes, knowing the fire between us made them appear gold and animal like.

"When you're having someone's threatening to kill the only type of family you have left if you don't sleep with him, you don't think about how to get away or keep them safe," I said, a small growl in my throat. "I played along for a bit, waited for him to let his guard down, then just did the first thing that came to mind and got the Hell out of the town."

Out of all the reactions I was expecting, Glenn and Daryl's were the worst. Daryl threw his knife at the ground as he stood up, burying it to the hilt, and began pacing like a caged cougar. Glenn's face turned an ugly shade of red and he started breathing heavily.

"I knew he was a scum bag, but I didn't think he'd do that to a member of the town," Maggie said, hugging herself and trying to calm down Glenn. "He threatened to do the same to me when he captured Glenn and I when we refused to say anything about where our group was..."

I nodded and watched Daryl pace like an animal before he stormed off to his tent. He had caught my eye and I didn't know why. I thought it was just because he was Merle's brother and I had heard so many stories about him, but something was telling me it was something else. Something deeper.

Everyone started to retire to their tents for the night. Hades and Zeus jumped up on top of the Topkick's cab and sat as sentry for the night while Laura brought Persephone to the tent to sleep. I put out the fire before checking to make sure everything in Ironhide was fit for the 3 hour trip back to Woodbury.

* * *

I was going back to a place that once was Hell personified. It was going to be a bit of a culture shock and I hoped I didn't act like the savage I knew I was after nearly two years without normal human contact.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait! I've been super busy lately!**

**I finally got a job and last week was all spent training!**

**Hoped you liked this chapter. Reviews and critiques are welcomed, just don't flame so much you burn yourself ;)**


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